Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to "Overweight" Rating

Key Points

• JPMorgan upgraded Charles River Laboratories to “overweight” from “neutral” and raised its price target to $310 from $180, implying 19.18% upside from the prior close.
• Charles River beat second-quarter expectations with EPS of $3.02 and revenue of approximately $1.0 billion, while raising fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $11.15–$11.45 and free-cash-flow guidance to $400–$420 million.
• Despite improving biotech demand and order momentum, revenue declined 2.7% year over year and EPS fell from $3.12; uneven segment performance and a negative reported net margin remain key risks.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $310.00 target price on the medical research company's stock, up from their previous target price of $180.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective indicates a potential upside of 19.18% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on CRL. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $213.00 price objective on Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.12.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 11.1%

Charles River Laboratories International stock opened at $260.11 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a PE ratio of -69.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.38. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $211.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.38. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12 month low of $144.26 and a 12 month high of $267.99.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.25. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 4.59% and a positive return on equity of 15.36%. The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $977.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 11.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James C. Foster sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $16,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,109,100. This represents a 70.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,887,175 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,174,374,000 after buying an additional 47,432 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 115.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,696,150 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $537,828,000 after buying an additional 1,446,972 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,871,688 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $373,364,000 after buying an additional 40,535 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 14.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,652,484 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $285,001,000 after acquiring an additional 210,260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,276,502 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $254,186,000 after acquiring an additional 9,756 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Charles River Laboratories International

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Laboratories International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CRL reported second-quarter earnings of $3.02 per share, above the consensus estimate of $2.77, while revenue of approximately $1.0 billion exceeded expectations of $977.2 million. Charles River Laboratories Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $11.15-$11.45, above its prior outlook and the $11.09 analyst consensus. Revenue guidance of roughly $3.9 billion also topped expectations of approximately $3.8 billion. Reuters: Charles River lifts profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: CRL raised its free-cash-flow outlook to $400 million-$420 million. Management cited stronger demand from biotech customers, improving organic revenue trends and positive order momentum. Its Discovery and Safety Assessment business has a strong backlog and book-to-bill ratio, while cost reductions and divestitures are expected to support margins. Charles River 2026 EPS and free cash flow outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings beat was partly offset by year-over-year revenue declining 2.7% and EPS falling from $3.12 in the prior-year quarter. Investors will likely focus on whether the improving order environment translates into sustained growth. CRL Q2 earnings and revenue results
• Negative Sentiment: Performance remains uneven across segments: U.S. weakness in Research Models and Services is being offset by strength in China. Longer-term risks include uncertain research spending and the company’s negative reported net margin. Charles River near-term inflection and long-term risk

About Charles River Laboratories International

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a leading provider of research models and preclinical and clinical support services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company's core offerings include discovery, safety assessment, toxicology, and pathology services, as well as supply of laboratory animals and related diagnostics. Services extend across in vivo and in vitro testing, biologics testing, and support for advanced therapies, helping clients accelerate drug development from early discovery through regulatory submission.

Founded in 1947 in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Charles River has grown through strategic investments and acquisitions to establish a broad portfolio of capabilities.

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